FIGS. 7 –9C (see JP 2000-353558A) show a first example of a card connector 101 according to the prior art. The card connector 101 is structured so that the force required for removing a card inserted therein is increased while the force required for inserting the card therein is reduced. Thus, the reliability of the card connector is increased due to the increased card holding power.
The card connector 101 comprises an insulating housing 110 and a plurality of contacts 120 that are attached to the housing 110. The housing 110 is substantially rectangular and has a card receiving opening 112 that passes through the housing 110 in a direction of thickness of the housing 110. The card receiving opening 112 is designed so that a card C is inserted into the card receiving opening 112 from a front side (left side in FIG. 7) toward a rear side of the card receiving opening 112 and so that the card C is removed in the opposite direction. A plurality of contact accommodating passages 111 extend from the card receiving opening 112 in a direction perpendicular to the direction of insertion and removal of the card C. The contact accommodating passages 111 are formed so that the contact accommodating passages 111 face each other from above and below on either side of the card receiving opening 112.
Each of the contacts 120 comprises an attachment member 121 that is secured to a side wall of the corresponding contact accommodating passage 111. The attachment member 121 is press-fitted to a rear-end portion of the side wall of the corresponding contact accommodating passage 111. A bent member 122 extends from one end of the attachment member 121. The bent member 122 first extends forward at an inclination from one end of the attachment member 121 and is then bent back to extend rearward at an inclination. A contact member 123 extends from an end of the bent member 122. The contact member 123 includes a contact protruding member 123b and a tip 123a. The contact member 123 first extends forward at an inclination from the end of the bent member 122 such that the contact protruding member 123b protrudes to an interior of the card receiving opening 112. The contact member 123 then extends forward at an inclination after being bent back from the contact protruding member 123b. The tip 123a of the contact member 123 is accommodated inside the corresponding contact accommodating passage 111. A connecting member 124 extends from the other end of the attachment member 121. The connecting member 124 is connected to an outside of the corresponding contact accommodating passage 111. Each of the contacts 120 may be formed by stamping and forming a metal plate.
As shown in FIG. 8A, when the card C is inserted into the card receiving opening 112, the card C contacts the contact protruding member 123b of the contact member 123 so that the contact member 123 is pushed in the direction of insertion of the card C and away from the card receiving opening 112. As shown in FIGS. 8B –8C, the bent member 122 is compressed so that an angle G in a central portion of the bent member 122 is reduced. Consequently, the contact protruding member 123b is accommodated inside the contact accommodating passage 111, and the contact member 123 almost in its entirety is positioned at a boundary surface between the contact accommodating passage 111 and the card receiving opening 112. Accordingly, the contact member 123 contacts the card C with its entire surface, which appropriately suppresses the contact pressure that the card C receives from the contact members 123 during the insertion of the card C, thus reducing the force required for the insertion of the card C.
As shown in FIG. 9A, when the card C is removed from the card receiving opening 112, the contact member 123 is dragged in the direction of card removal. As shown in FIGS. 9B –9C, the tip 123a of the contact member 123 contacts a front wall of the contact accommodating passage 111. The contact protruding member 123b of the contact member 123 rises toward the card receiving opening 112 with the tip 123a acting as a fulcrum and strongly presses against the card C after making contact with the card C in a more or less point contact state. The force required for removing the card C is therefore increased, so that the holding power exerted on the card C in the card connector 101 is increased.
In the card connector 101 shown in FIG. 7, however, when the card C is removed from the card receiving opening 112, the contact protruding members 123b of the contact members 123 of the contacts 120 come into contact and strongly press against the card C in a more or less point contact state. As a result, the force required for the removal of the card C is increased, and the holding power exerted on the card C is heightened. However, the holding power exerted on the card C is merely increased by the spring force of the contacts 120 so that the holding power exerted on the card C is still not adequate. Therefore, in cases where an external force is applied to the card connector 101, there is still a danger that the card C will drop out of the card connector 101. Since nothing other than the spring force of the contacts 120 is utilized to increase the holding power exerted on the card C, in cases where an external force is applied to the card connector 101, there are cases in which the load applied to the contacts 120 is so excessive that the contacts 120 may be damaged. Moreover, if the spring force of the contacts 120 is increased, there are cases in which the card contact points provided on the card C may also be damaged (e.g., stripping of the plating) as a result of the numerous number of times the card C is inserted and removed.
FIGS. 10A –10B (see JP 2002-42932A) show another example of a card connector 201 according to the prior art. The card connector 201 is structured to reduce the insertion force of a card (not shown) and to prevent the card (not shown) from dropping out.
The card connector 201 comprises an insulating housing 210 and a plurality of contacts 220 that are attached to the housing 210. A card holder 230 is held inside the housing 210 in a pivotable manner. The housing 210 has a base member 211 that extends in a direction of width and side plate members 212a, 212b that are provided on both ends of the base member 211 in the direction of width. The side plate members 212a, 212b extend in a card insertion direction X and in a card removal direction Y. A card insertion slot 212 is formed between the side plate members 212a, 212b at a rear end of the housing 210. A bridge 215 is provided on an upper portion of the side plate members 212a, 212b at rear ends thereof in the card insertion direction X. Shaft members 213 (only one side is shown in FIG. 10B) are provided on mutually facing inner surfaces of the side plate members 212a, 212b substantially in a center thereof. First positioning members (not shown) for positioning the card holder 230 in a first position into which the card (not shown) can be inserted into and removed from the card holder 230 and second positioning members 214 for positioning the card holder 230 in a second position into which contact point members (not shown) provided on an bottom surface of the card (not shown) can be caused to contact the contacts 220 are present on mutually facing inner surfaces of the side plate members 212a, 212b toward the rear ends thereof. The first positioning members (not shown) are provided in a lower portion of the mutually facing inner surfaces of the side plate members 212a, 212b. The second positioning members 214 are provided in an upper portion of the mutually facing inner surfaces of the side plate members 212a, 212b. 
The contacts 220 are attached to the base member 211 of the housing 210 at a specified pitch along the direction of width. Contact members 221 protrude upward from an upper surface of the base member 211. The contact members 221 are designed to be contacted by contact points (not shown) provided on the bottom surface of the card (not shown) when the card (not shown) is located in the second position.
The card holder 230 comprises a card placement member 231 that extends in a direction of width. Holder side plate members 232a, 232b are formed by bending both ends of the card placement member 231 in the direction of width so that the holder side plate members 232a, 232b respectively face the side plate members 212a, 212b. Guide members 233a, 233b are formed by bending the holder side plate members 232a, 232b inward from the side plate members 212a, 212b. The holder side plate members 232a, 232b are attached in a pivotable manner to the shaft members 213 that are respectively provided on the side plate members 212a, 212b of the housing 210. First locking members (not shown) that are locked with the first positioning members (not shown) of the housing 210 and second locking members (not shown) that are locked with the second positioning members 214 are provided on the holder side plate members 232a, 232b of the card holder 230.
FIG. 10A shows a state in which the first locking members (not shown) of the card holder 230 are locked with the first positioning members (not shown) of the housing 210. At this point, the card holder 230 is substantially parallel to the housing 210 so that the card (not shown) can be inserted into the card holder 230 from the rear end side in the card insertion direction X. In this case, since the front end member of the card holder 230 is away from the contact members 221 of the contacts 220, there is no contact between the card contact point members (not shown) and the contact members 221 of the contacts 220 even when the card (not shown) is inserted. Accordingly, the contact force of the contacts 220 does not affect the card insertion force so that the card (not shown) can be inserted into the card holder 230 with little force.
In contrast, if the rear end of the card is lifted up in the direction of arrow Z1 in FIG. 10B after the card (not shown) has been inserted into a specified position of the card holder 230, the card holder 230 is also caused to rotate with the shafts 213 as fulcrums so that the second locking members (not shown) are locked with the second positioning members 214. The movement of the card holder 230 is thus restricted in the returning direction. As a result, the card holder 230 is fastened in place. The front end member of the card holder 230 moves in the direction of arrow Z2 as a result of the rotation of the card holder 230 so that the card contact points (not shown) of the card (not shown) and the contact members 221 of the contacts 220 come into contact. In this case, a rear end of the card (not shown) is blocked by the locking members 216a, 216b of the housing 210 so that the card (not shown) is locked into place. Accordingly, the card (not shown) does not drop out of the card holder 230 even if the card connector 201 is tilted in the card removal direction Y.
In the case of the card connector 201 shown in FIGS. 10A –10B, however, although there is no danger of the card (not shown) dropping out of the card holder 230 or of the contacts 220 being damaged, the card holder 230 is necessary to hold the card (not shown). Therefore, the card connector 201 requires extra components and has a complex construction.